


honey, you're familiar, like my mirror years ago

by divine_chicken



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi | Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, Lucius survives au, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divine_chicken/pseuds/divine_chicken
Summary: Karel is unexpectedly visited by an old friend.
Relationships: Karel/Lucius (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Karel doesn't quite hear knocks on his door anymore, not unless it's by some young villager eager to learn about the way of the sword from him. Not that he minds, not at all- truly, he does love the early morning lessons with his students, as well as the meal they prepare afterwards. Something warm fills his eyes as he watches them gobble down the soup he prepared, just as an overly excited Karla did once.  
Life is quiet, and it flows by easily, and the elderly cat sleeping soundly in his lap seems to agree, too. She's been sleeping curled up on his chest ever since she could fit in his palm, and she purrs even louder now that she's grown. He yawns softly and he blows the candle by his bedside, and he goes to sleep. Sometimes the people will call him serene, but he hardly thinks that's a worthy title - he's mellow, at best.

A loud bang on his door resounds through the dead of the night, and he jolts awake, grabbing the sword under his bed. A terrible thing to have in a bedroom, but he knows peace can be ever so easily shattered, and he would rather be vigilant than dead.  
" Who's there?" He calls, and a soft voice he'd recognize anywhere responds " it's me!"

He drops his sword to the floor and it clatters as he unlocks the door with haste, only to be met by what's quite possibly the saddest sight he's ever seen.

It's Lucius, it's Lucius, of course it's him, but he would pray to whatever god exists that it wasn't.  
His one eye is horribly bruised, to the point where he can barely see, and his clear, bright priest's robes are charred at the edges, and his hair smells like smoke, and he's injured, he's injured everywhere, and-

" Come on in," he whispers, helping the man sit down on his couch, and battered and wrecked as Lucius is, he responds with a soft 'thank you.'

" What happened to you?" He chokes, helping him sit down, and he still can't fathom that he's alive.

" The orphanage... They destroyed the orphanage," Lucius responds, hands trembling, and Karel gently squeezes one. It stops shaking, and that's all that matters to him.  
" Lord Raymond and Tia are dead," he gasps, a fat tear rolling down his cheek, and Karel can do little but wrap an arm around his shoulders to pull him close.

" The children?" He asks.

" They're not with me," Lucius responds. " I'd set a target on their backs if I remained with them, but... They're safe. Lugh and Raigh will take care of them."  
He doesn't feel good about saying it, and it shows, just as any parent wouldn't want to abandon his children.  
" It's better to be separated and alive than to be together and dead."

"... Have you gotten any sleep?" Karel asks instead, and Lucius shakes his head, eyes glassy.  
" I had to watch over them," he whispers.  
" Can I stay here, just for the night? "

" You can stay here for as long as you wish," Karel responds, and perhaps that's when Lucius realizes that this Karel is not the sword demon he once knew.

" Thank you..." Lucius whispers, exhaling softly, and that's exactly when his exhaustion catches up to him, and his eyes are threatening to flutter close.

"...Don't fall asleep just yet," Karel mutters.  
" You're injured. Let me at least take care of that before you sleep."

"... Thank you, my friend," Lucius responds, and he smiles at him blearily, and Karel wants to sob at the sight of Lucius's sweetness persisting, even when he just lost almost everything.  
" I would've done it myself, but my staff broke."

After that, they drift into a heavy silence, Lucius's eyes glassy as they stare into the void, Karel carefully tending to his wounds. Lucius doesn't gasp or hiss even once during the process, and Karel finds himself unable to decipher whether that's because he's patient, or because he's numb.  
"... You can sleep now," Karel whispers after he's given him clean clothes, and Lucius's head falls back on the couch limply as slumber embraces his tattered form in seconds. Karel sighs at the sight and picks him up to set him down on his bed, throwing a blanket over him carefully before he closes the door behind him. 

-

" You've grown," Lucius whispers the next morning, and Karel looks away bashfully.

" ... Yes, I suppose I have . Thanks to you," he whispers, and he makes a silent vow to give Lucius the same unconditional love and support he'd once received by him.

Karel helps him bathe that day, gently scrubbing the ash and the dried blood off of Lucius's frail body, his hands ever so careful as he massages Lucius's scalp and undoes all the knots in it.  
Once they are done, once Lucius is clean and somewhat resembles his old self, he hugs Karel, squeezes him tight to his chest.  
"... Thank you, Karel," he whispers, and Karel hugs back as if Lucius is made of glass, or porcelain.

" No need to thank me," Karel responds, and he always felt at ease around him, but he'd forgotten the sensation - and now, Lucius is small against him and he's ever so real, and Karel finds himself revelling in the moment.  
" I'm only helping you as you helped me. Just focus on resting, alright?", and Lucius nods his assent, and Karel insists on letting him sleep in his bed, even as Lucius slowly gets better.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes a long time for Lucius to even start resembling his holy self again, but that gives Karel time to realize his feelings for Lucius never quite left. He could never take advantage of him, not in a battered state like this, but he'd offer him his friendship any and every day he could, so long as Lucius would be okay.

Though to say Lucius was any sort of burden would be a terrible, terrible lie, since not only did he love taking care of him, but Lucius was also not a dead weight - he insisted on helping Karel out with the household chores, whatever Karel would allow him to do, and he even went as far as to cook for him and his students when they'd come over for their classes.

Lucius still slept in Karel's bed, and Karel still slept on the couch, and life went on.

One night, Karel felt someone gently push him awake, and it was too large to be his cat. He blinked awake softly.

" Karel?" Lucius's voice gently whispered. " I'm so sorry to wake you up in the dead of night..."

" Mm? No, no, it's alright..." Karel mumbled sleepily.  
" What's wrong?"

" Can you keep me company?" Lucius whispers, fiddling with the edge of his nightshirt.  
" I've been having terrible nightmares as of late, and I hoped you would help, since you make me feel safe..." The last words are spoken in a more hushed voice, but Karel gently pats Lucius's forearm to ease his shyness.

" Of course, Lucius," he responds, and he gently picks his still sleeping cat up in his arms.  
" Let us go," and Lucius nods softly.

Once they're there, Karel's heart cannot stop pounding, but he tries to calm it down, for Lucius's sake. He gently lays down and waits for Lucius to cover himself up with the blankets first, and he watches him tentatively scoot closer to his warmth, pressing to his side like a scared bird.

" Do you maybe want something to help you sleep?" Karel whispers, but Lucius shakes his head.

" This is more than enough, I promise you."  
" For how long have you been having these nightmares?"

"... Ever since I came here," Lucius confesses, and Karel runs a hand through the man's soft hair gently to soothe him.

" It's alright. Just go to sleep, yes? I'll watch over you."

Lucius timidly nods, whispering his thanks before he crumples up next to Karel, and before long he's fast asleep, and Karel sleeps too, and he hasn't known rest so peaceful in years.

It becomes this sort of agreement after that, and Karel no longer sleeps on the couch, and he tries to ignore the pounding of his heart as he holds Lucius through his nightmares, and he can only hope Lucius isn't listening to his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.

The first year or so flows by like that, quiet and calm as Lucius slowly recovers. He gets better, slowly but surely, and his sweetness returns, day after day. Karel's students love Lucius, too, and so does his cat...  
And so does Karel. He loves him, and he knows it, but he's too old to make a fuss about it, and he'd never take advantage of the trust Lucius has shown him. He takes whatever Lucius gives him, and he's happy. 

And perhaps that's why, when Lucius rests his head against the crook of his neck, Karel lets him, and when he feels Lucius squeeze his hand during the night, he also lets him, and when Lucius sits closer to him during the day, he lets that happen, too, and the warmth of being in love fills his chest, and Lucius smiles at him like he's the sun, and Karel smiles back, and he wonders if the sweet cleric will ever realize how much he means to Karel.

They sit together in calm quietude one night after Karel's made them both some tea, Lucius gently petting the cat on his lap. She'd never let anyone but Lucius pet her belly, and Karel doesn't know how much more special this man can be.

"... Karel?" He gently whispers, taking a long sip of his tea.

" Yes?"

" May I confess something to you?"

" Of course."

"... I never forgot about you," Lucius whispers, and Karel's breath hitches in his throat.  
" I prayed to Saint Elimine for your wellbeing every day. To see that you've grown into such a kind man... It fills me with indescribable joy, Karel."

"... It's all thanks to you," Karel responds, but Lucius shakes his head.

" It's not. You did this with your own strength," he responds, and something in Karel's chest feels strange as Lucius reaches for his hand, giving it a soft squeeze. 

" Lucius..." He whispers.

" Yes?" The man kindly responds.

" I never stopped thinking about you, either. When I would get sleepless nights, from all the memories of the bloodshed and the fighting... I'd think of you. "

"... I'm glad to know that," Lucius responds with a soft smile, and Karel finds himself returning it, face incredibly tender.

" Karel," Lucius murmurs, setting his tea down on the table, as his hands find Karel's, as they linger there for a moment, Lucius's eyes focused on the curve of Karel's mouth.

" ... Yes?"

" May I kiss you?" He whispers, and he is so oddly vulnerable yet serene at the same time, and Karel finds himself nodding frantically as Lucius slots their mouths together, sighing quietly against him when Karel kisses back. They stay like that, kissing gently, timidly, because they are both tired, and they've been through a lot, and they could never hurt the other.

When they part, Lucius rests his head against Karel's shoulder and sighs contently, his hands rubbing tender circles on his waist as Karel kisses the crown of his head affectionately.

"... I thought about you in that way, too," Karel confesses then.  
" When...we were apart, that is. I think I always had feelings for you, and they never really left."

" That's quite alright," Lucius smiles, and he punctuates his point with a quick, chaste kiss.  
" I think I did so, too," he responds, and Karel kisses him again, and they stay like that, soft and quiet, both too scared to go any further, because they would never hurt each other like that. Just being able to know that he holds Lucius's heart like Lucius does his is more than enough, for now. 

Of course, they don't shy away from the next step forever, but even that comes so naturally, as Lucius gently drops his robes to the ground, as he looks like a saint or a god with the way his golden hair pools around his head, yet the soft gasps and whispers of Karel's name against his mouth are so deeply and unchangeably human, and it's the most beautiful thing his partner has ever witnessed.

After all's said and done, after Karel has gently washed Lucius's exhausted form, he holds him, wraps his arms around him protectively and whispers something sweet against him, and Lucius sighs contently as sweet afterglow has overtaken him. 

He's home, he thinks, his heart is home, and he's been sainted by the only holy being he's ever met, and though he'd love to think about it more, he's exhausted.  
Lucius is holding him, and Karel is holding him back, and all is well.


End file.
